Motosphere

The Motosphere is a two sphere drive bike capable of moving in any direction. It can translate sideways, rotate 180 degrees on its vertical axis or simply travel straight like a superbike.

Background

I had the idea when I was working on the Surfbal concept. At that time I wanted to work on a ‘re-vamped’ edition of the famous TRON Lightcycle but using wheels seemed too simple.

How it works

I remembered that the huge transport trucks in I Robot had spheres instead of wheels. For the Motosphere, I applied a similar principle but with balance and translation algorithms. The electric bike’s angles are always adjusted in real time with sensors to keep optimal balance. The Motosphere could also roll at high speed and change direction with a drive by wire steering system.

What it’s used for

Early on, it would make more sense to use this type of configuration for a low speed urban vehicle or just a fun recreational bike on which you can achieve complex figures. Imagine doing ‘safe’ wheelies, the bike would keep itself balanced, it could spin around or translate sideways… Of course a lot needs to be done to come up with a prototype but it all starts with an idea!

The designer

I would like to thank Brian Ross Miller, who created the images of the Motosphere. Brian is a freelance product designer based in Denver, Colorado. Brian also created the renderings of the Gotoo compact subway car.